Mobil station in Florence center of Northampton about to come down

NORTHAMPTON — The biggest eyesore in downtown Florence is about to make way for a new building that will mirror the iconic Bird's Block.

Gaurang Patel, who owns Bird's, at the corner of Main and Maple, and the lot across the street that once hosted a Mobil station, is getting ready to demolish the unsightly gas station building. Workers put fencing around the property this week in preparation for the demolition.

In February, the Planning Board approved Patel's project, which will feature two floors of commercial space in a building that resembles the red-brick facade of the Bird's Block. Patel hopes to have a restaurant among his new tenants.

"We've had a lot of inquiries, but nothing solid enough to depend on," he said.

The parcel is among the prime real estate lots in downtown Florence. In 2011, the Planning Board rejected a proposal to build a Cumberland Farms on the site, giving the design a thumbs-down. Mirroring the Bird's Block is closer to the ideal of city planners, but Patel said it will be expensive to build it that way.

The parking spaces in Patel's proposal are on the side of and behind the building, unlike the Cumberland Farms plan, which had parking in front. There will be two side entrances on Maple Street, Patel said.

Before demolition, crews will tend to the new curb cuts allowed by the Planning Board. Patel hopes to have the gas station down by the end of next week, and the new building ready for occupancy by next March.